Internal combustion engine



March 8, 1932. c EDWARDS 1,848,247

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheei l HERBERT C. EDA/EH05 damn,

March 8, 1932. c, EDWARDS 1,848,247

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec. 12. 1929 I 2 SheetsSh eei 2 Qwuantoa;

hERBEHT CZ EHNHHDS.

Patented Mar. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT C. EDWARDS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO PACKARD MOTOR CAB COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Application filed December 12, 1929. Serial No. 418,469.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to fuel injection mechanism. 1

An object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine with individual fuel injecting devices which are associated with each cylinder and arranged so that they can be readily adjusted to regulate the quantity of fuel delivered.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a readily adjustable fuel injecting mechanism for a radial type of engine in which Y actuating mechanism in a plurality of fuel injecting devices can be uniformly adjusted by the operation of a single element. 1

' Still another object ofthe invention is to provide a fuel injection device in which the pump stroke is varied to regulate the quantity of fuel delivered thereby through rotation of a portion of the actuating means.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification, in which:

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of an internal combustion engine with which my invention is associated, a portion of the crank case and one cylinder being broken y 5 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectlonal view illus- -trating the fuel injection device and its connection with the crank case and the cylinder;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 illustrating the ring operating mechanism. 1

Referring now to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 represents a barrel type of crank case in which a compartment 11 is formed between the partition wall 12 and the rear end wall 13. A plurality of cylinders 14 extend radially from the crank case and pistons 15 are arranged to reciprocate therein, there being the conventional connections between the pistons and the crank shaft 16. The head sections 17 and 18 of the cylinders are formed with a Venturi passage 19 50 which is arranged to extend tangentially of,

and at an angle to, the axis of the cylinder so that air drawn therethrough will be caused to rotate within the cylinder. This passage 19 also serves as the exhaust outlet, and a valve 20, reciprocated in a conventional manner, is associated with the inner end of each passage to control flow therethrough.

A liquid fuel injection device is, preferably, associated with each of the cylinders and actuated through mechanism operated by a cam 0 so that upon each two revolutions of the crank shaft each of the fuel injection devices will have been operated. The fuel injecting mechanism consists generally of a nozzle portion 22 and a pump portion 23, the nozzle portion including a flange 24 which is secured by studs 25 against the side of the cylinder. The nozzle projects through an opening in the cylinder wall, and passa e of fuel oil therethrough is restricted y the valve 26 which opens toward the interior of the cylinder when suflicient pressure is placed upon the fuel within the nozzle. A pump casing 27 contains a-barrel 28 having a bore 29 extending axially therethrough and a plunger 30 is mounted to reciprocate within the barrel, being connected to a guide member 31 arranged to reciprocate within the pump casing. A housing 32 is secured upon the pump casing by the nut 33, suitable fuel supply openings so and connections being associated with the housing 32 to admit fuel within the injection device. The pump housing and the barrel are provided with ducts 34. through which the fuel moves from the chamber formed by the housing 32 into the passage within the pump barrel, and a check valve 35 is arranged at the upper end of such passage to prevent the return of fuel which has passed thereby into the nozzle when the plunger is retracted. The 90 stroke of the plunger 30, after closing the ducts 34, determines the quantity of fuel which is displaced from the space thereabove and projected from the nozzle into the cylin- Mechanism is associated with each of the plungers for actuating the same and such mechanisms are actuatedby the cam 36 which is driven from and mounted to rotate upon the shaft 16. Each of such mechanisms ineludes an actuating member 37 which extends through a sleeve 38 projecting through a wall of the crank case 10 and is provided with an adjustable element 39 at its end for engagement with the guide 31. A rod 40 engages the inner end of the actuating element 37 and seats in a recess formed in an end of a bearing 41 which is carried by a rock lever 42 pivotally mounted upon a shaft 43 extending transversely between the end wall 13 and the partition 12. The bearing members 41 are threaded and are screwed into recesses in the free end of the rock levers so that by screwing the bearing members inwardly or outwardly, the stroke of the rods 40 transmitted through the actuating members 37 to the plungers 30 can be varied. It is to be understood that the rock levers are reciprocated by the cam 36 to the same degree uniformly. As the lobes of the cam 36 pass beneath the rock levers they will move the plunger actuating mechanism in a direction to cause them to close the ducts 34, and thus project a quantity of fuel through the nozzles in accordance with the movement past the ducts. When the lobes of the cam 36 pass from beneath the rocker levers, the coil springs 44 exert suflicient pressure against the actuating mechanism to cause the rock levers to remain against the periphery of the cam. The cam ,is provided with internal teeth 45 with which the gear 46 meshes, and such gear is driven from the crank shaft by mechanism (not shown) to rotate the cam in a direction opposite to that in which the crank shaft is rotating and at A; the crank shaft speed, so that upon every two revolutions of the crank shaft each one of the fuel injecting devices will be actuated once.

In order to provide for the uniform adjust ment of the stroke of the plungers to vary the quantity of fuel injected by the fuel devices, I provide a ring 47 which is seated interiorly of the flange 48 extending from the partition 12. The ring is secured to the partition by means of studs 49 which extend through slots 50 in the ring, and coil springs 51 are arranged intermediate the ring and the heads of the studs to hold the ring against the partition so that any position of adjustment thereof will be frictionally maintained. The bearing members 41 are each provided with a circular flange 52 upon which are formed arcuate teeth 53, and arranged to cooperate with the teeth of such flanges are a plurality of racks 54 which are secured to the ring 47 by the rivets 55. The teeth 56 on such racks and the teeth on the flange 52 of the bearing members 41 are formed and arranged so that the axis from which they are struck coincides with the axis of the pin 43 of the associated rocker lever. One of the racks is provided with a flanged portion 57 upon the edge of which is formed a rack with which the segmental gear 58 engages, such gear being fixed 3 to the shaft 59 which projects through the crank case and has a lever 60 associated therewith whereby rocking of the shaft is obtained to rotate the ring 47 as desired to adjust the stroke of the plunger in the fuel injecting devices.

It will be seen that the meshing teeth of the racks 5 4 and the bearings 41 will cause the hearings to be rotated so that they move in relation to the rocker levers to vary the stroke of the rods 40 uniformly, and consequently the stroke of the actuating members 37 and plungers 30 are likewise varied when the rock er levers are reciprocated. As the teeth 56 and 53 of each device are struck from the center of the associated rocker lever mounting, the bearings 41 are rotated in a radial,

. direction upon rotation of the ring 47.

Adjustment of the bearings 41 toward the cam will shorten the stroke of the plungers, after closing the ducts 34, and as the bearing members 41 are rotated so that they move in'a direction away from the cam 36, the stroke of the plungers 30 will be lengthened beyond the pointwhere they close the ducts 34. Rotation of the ring 47 will thus cause adjustment of the bearings within a predetermined range to control the stroke of the plungers 30, and consequently will uniformly regulate the fuel charges injected from the nozzles into the cylinders. It will be under- I stood that bearings 41 can be screwed into the rocker levers to a position such that the resulting stroke of the plunger 30 will not close the ducts 34, and obviously under such circumstances the engine will not run as no' fuel will be injected into cylinders.

It will be seen that I have provided a simple form of mechanism whereby through the manipulation of a single element the stroke of all the fuel injecting plungers can be regulated as desired, and that such regulation will require small effort upon the part of the operator or the pilot when the engine is utilized as the power plant of an airship.

The form of the invention shown and described is to be considered as a preferred form only and it is to be understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel, the distance the plunger moves after closing the barrel ports determining the fuel charge injected, a rod for actuating the plunger in an in ection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever having a recess, a bearing member seated in the recess, said member being engaged by the rod and being rotatably adustable in a direction axially of the rod, and sprlng means for retracting the plunger.

2. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel, the

distance the plunger moves after closing the barrel ports determining the fuel charge injected, a rod for actuating the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever having a recess, a bearing engaged by the rod and screwed into the recess in the rocker lever, the rotational adjustment of the bearing varying the stroke imparted to the rod, and a spring for retracting the plunger after an injection stroke.

3. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel closing inlet ports upon an-injection stroke, a rod for actuating the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever, a rotatably adjustable bearng member carried by the rocker lever with which the rod engages,

means for rotating the bearing member to adjust the relation of the rod relative to the v rocker lever to vary the effective injection stroke of the plunger, and spring means for retracting the plunger after an injection stroke.

4.. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, the pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel controlling the inlet ports, a rod actuated to operate the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever, a bearing member fixed to the rocker lever-with which the rod engages, said bearing member having a flange provided with teeth, means engaging with the bearing flange teeth for rotating the 35 bearing to adjust the same axially with respect to the rod, and spring means for retracting the plunger after an injection stroke.

5. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports,a plunger in the barrel closing the inlet ports upon an injection stroke, a rod actuated for moving the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever,

rotatably adjustable bearing means carried by the rocker lever and with which the rod engages, said bearing member being provided with teeth, a rack meshing with the teeth on the bearing member, means for reciprocating the rack to cause rotation of the bearing member, and spring means for retracting the plunger after an injection stroke.

6. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines. a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel closing the inlet ports upon an injection stroke, a rod for actuating the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker lever, a rotatable bearing member carried by the rocker lever and with which the rod engages, said bearing member having teeth formed thereon, a rack mounted adjacent the bearing member and meshing with the teeth thereon,

means for retracting the plunger after an inj ection stroke.

7. In a fuel injecting device for radial internal combustion engines having an internal Wall in the crank case, a plurality of pump barrels having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in each of the barrels and closing inlet ports upon an injection stroke, a rod associated with each plunger to operate the plunger in an injection stroke, cam actuated rocker levers, a bearing member screwed into each of the rocker levers with which the rods engage, said bearing members having teeth formed thereon, a ring carried by the casing wall adjacent the bearing members, racks secured to the ring in meshing relation with the teeth on the bearing members, means for rotatably adjusting the ring, and spring means for retracting the plungers after their injection strokes.

8. In a fuel injecting system for radial internal combustion engines havin an interior crank case wall, the plurality 0 pump barrels associated with each of the cylinders of the engine having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in each of the barrels closing the inlet ports upon an injection stroke, a rod associated with each of the plungers to actuate the same in an injection stroke, cam actuated rocker levers mounted within the engine casing, a bearing member screwed into each of the rocker levers with which the rods engage,

said members having teeth formed thereon,

a control ring frictionally held against the interior wall of the crank case, rack members fixed to the ring in mesh with the teeth on the bearing members, the meshing teeth of the bearing members and the racks being formed to extend in a similar are, means for turning the ring, and spring means for retracting the plungers after the injection stroke. v

9. In a fuel injecting device for internal combustion engines, a pump barrel having fuel inlet ports, a plunger in the barrel closing the inlet ports upon an injection stroke, a rod actuated to operate the plunger in an injection stroke, a cam actuated rocker 1ever, a rotatably adjustable bearing member secured to the rocker lever, said bearing member having a socket with which an end of the rod engages, means for rotatably adjusting the bearing member to change its position in a direction axially of the rocker lever, and spring means for retracting the plunger after each injection stroke thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HERBERT C. EDWARDS.

the teeth of the rack and of the bearing mem-- 

